Flood gate and fence



No. 750,004. v PATBNTEDJAN. 19, 1904.` L. W. @L E.' PHEGLEY. PLUOD GATE AND PEN-0E. APPLICATION FILED AUG. ZZ, 1903.`

NO MODEL.

Wihjasskzs -I I A OCCLII.

UNITED STATES.

Patented January 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS WARD PHEGLEY AND ELBERT PHEGLEY, OF MARSHALL, MISSOURI.

FLOOD GATE AND FENCE.

SE'ECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 750,004, dated January 19, 1904.

Application filed August 22, 1903.

To all whom it muy concern:

Be it known that we, LOUIS WARD PHEGLEY and ELBERT PHEGLEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Marshall, in the countyof Saline and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Flood Gate and Fence,of which the following is a specification.

rIhis invention relates to flood fences and gates employed insmall running streams or upon low lands which are liable to be flooded after heavy rains and which will effectually prevent the passage of animals when the iiood subsides, and has for its object to simplify and improve devices of this character and produce a device simple in construction which may beY manufactured principally from material found in the adjacent forests and which will operate automatically to open under abnormal conditions and close when the normal conditions are resumed.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter shown and described, and specified in the claims.

In the drawings illustrative of the invention, in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the structure. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail illustrating the manner of connecting the framing.

Devices of the character herein described are employed in localities which are liable to be flooded after excessive rains or melting snows, but which in dry weather are either entirely without water, or nearly so, and are designed to exclude animals during the dry periods and which will permit the water and drifting material to freely pass when floods Such localities are sometimes small running streams or low lands or low lands bordering small running streams, the water being' confined to the bed of the stream under. normal conditions and overflowing the banks when the excess of water occurs, or the low lands may be entirely dry under normal conditions and flooded only when the excess of water occurs.

The improved device may be employed upon land or over streams under the varying conditions above noted and wlll serve as an or- Serial No. 170,476. (No modell) dinary fence when the water is low or entirely y The posts may be placed any suitable distancel apart and of any suitable size or strength and will preferably be spaced and proportioned according to the resistance whichr they will encounter. The posts will be firmly supported in the earth (represented at 9) and will generally extend above the earth about equal to the height of an ordinary fence. The upper ends of the posts will be tenoned, as at 8, and engage mortises in cap-plates 11, the tenons secured, as by transverse pins 7, as in Fig. 3, which represents this portion of the structure in detail. The posts which come at the opposite sides of the channelwill not be connected by the cap-plates, so that the channel portion will be unobstructed, as shown. Spaced upstream from the plate members 1l and posts 10 are sill-plates 12, parallel to the cap-plates and secured by anchor-stakes or in any other suitable manner. The sill-plates will preferably be buried in the soil, so that their upper surfaces come flush with or even below the surface, as represented, and may be anchored by stakes or inA any other suitable manner. Connected with the cap-'plates 11 and sill members 12 are spaced rail members 14, being thus disposed in an upwardly-inclined position downstream and with their upper ends preferably extending downstream beyond the cap-plates for a short distance,v as

shown at 15, to provide for the drift material passing' freely over the railswithout coming 'in contact with and injuring their supporting structure.

The posts 10 and plate members 11 are supported on their downstream sides by diagonal brace members 16, embeddedv at their lower ends in the earth and with their upper ends scarfed upon the posts and plates and secured thereto, as by spikes or bolts, as shown` IOO Connecting the posts 10 and brace members 16 near the ground and extended to the sill members 12 are tie-bars 17, while similar tiebars 18 connect the upper portions of the posts and plates and extend to the rails 14 and are connected thereto, as shown.

The fence-sections thus described may be extended for any distance and will generally be connected at their outer ends with the ordinary fences of the farm or adjoining land.

The vertical ends of the inclined fence-sections will be provided with spaced slats 19 to form guards to prevent the passage of small animalsmsuch as hogs, sheep, or the like. By this simple arrangement a very strong and durable structure is produced which will permit the water to freely flow between its members and by the inclined position of the upper rail members will permit the drift material to freely flow over it without injuring it.

The posts 10 are further strengthened and supported by tie rods or wires 25, extending upstream therefrom and anchored by stakes Q1 or other similar means, as shown.

Erected to the adjacent faces of the fencesections at the opposite sides of the channel portion are vertical stay-posts 20, having their lower ends firmly embedded in the earth and their upper ends arranged adjacent the ends of the cap-plates 11, as shown.

Surrounding the posts Q() are cribs formed of superimposed planks 22, overlapping and secured together at their ends and preferably in triangular form and disposed with one of the acute angles upstream, as shown, to form guards to prevent the full force of the water o1' drift material striking the posts. The cribs will be weighted with stone or other similar suitable material (represented at 23) to prevent their displacement by the currents, the whole forming combined anchors and sheer-cribs to iirmly support the stay-posts 2O and the fence-sections against which they rest.

The posts 2O may be connected, if required, near their upper ends by a stay rod or wire 24C to prevent the spreading of the posts.

The automatic gate will be erected across the channel-space between the fence-sections at the downstream side of the sheer or anchor cribs and is constructed as follows: Supporting-posts 26 Q7 have their lower ends embedded in the earth adjacent to the downstream sides of the cribs 22 and are protected thereby from the action of the water and drift material. Connecting' the posts 26 27 is a rod 28, which forms the hinge for the gate and is disposed relatively close to the bed of the channel, as shown.

The gate is constructed of spaced vertical slats or pickets E29, each secured near its lower end, as by staple 30, to the rod 28 and con nected together at their upper ends by a wire or rod 31 and hooks 6, the latter pointing upwardly, as shown, so that in event of drift material striking' the wire it will force it loose from the pickets and not break the latter. By this means a very light and strong gate structure is produced which is free to open downstream upon the rod 28 as a hinge.

Adjacent to the upstream side of the gate a post 32 is erected, which affords a support for a spring 33, passing' over a guide-pulley 5 on the post and connected by the other end to the gate and maintaining the latter normally closed against the posts 20, but yieldable to pressure exerted from theupstrcamside. Any required number of the springs may be employed and of any required strength, according to the size and length of the gate; but for small gates one will generally be suilicient. By this means the gate will remain closed under normal conditions; but in event of an abnormal rise of the water containing drift material which would endanger the gate the latter will yield and permit the former to pass over it, and then the gate will be automatically closed when the pressure is removed.

To prevent the possibility of the accidental opening of the gate by the pressure of animals or from other causes, the free end of the gate is connected, as by cords 34, to the posts 20, the cords being strong enough to resist the pressure of animals in attempting to pass the gate, but which will break when subjected to the pressure of the drift material in event of an abnormal rise of water and permit the gate to yield, and thus avoid breakage under those circumstances.

The material of the structure is almost entirely of wood and can be procured from the adjacent forests when available, thus materially cheapening' the expense and labor.

The parts are very simple in construction, and the device can be erected by any farmer having ordinary skill. The metal parts may be of ordinary fence-wire and spikes and bolts, which are readily obtainable in all localities.

The sill members 12 and the lower ends of the rail members 14 may be further secured by loose stones piled thereon, if required, as indicated at 35 in Fig. 2.

Then erected upon stony ground or in rocky localities, where the posts cannot be sunken in the ground, they can be anchored in the ordinary manner by drift-bolts or by stones piled around them; but this would not be a departure from the principle of the invention, as it would be merely the substitution of one well-known securing means for another without changing' the results or mode of action.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim is- 1. In a flood fence and gate construction, fence-sections arranged at the opposite sides of the channel each inclined upwardly toward IOO IOS

IIO

their downstream ends and with vertically-arranged oppositely-disposed side panel, a gate disposed between said vertical sides and mounted to swing downstream, and a spring disposed to support said gate yieldably closed, substantially as specied.

2. In a flood fence and gate construction,

-fence-sections arranged on the opposite sides of the channel and inclined upwardly toward their downstream ends and provided with vertical oppositely-disposed side walls, oppositely-disposed brace-posts connected by a stay member in transverse alinement with the upper surfaces of said fence-sections, and a gate moimted to swing downstream between said fence-sections and engaging said brace-posts when in its closed position, substantially as specified. v

3. In a fiood fence and gate construction, fence-sections at the opposite sides of the channel inclined upwardly toward their downstream ends and provided with vertical oppositely-disposed side walls, oppositely-disposed brace-posts connected by a stay member in transverse alinement with the upper surfaces of said fence-sections, a gate mounted to swing downstream between said fence-sections and engaging said brace-posts when in its closed position, and breakable connecting means between the free side of said gate and said brace-posts, substantially as specified.

4. In a flood fence and gate construction, fence-sections disposed at the opposite sides of the channel and inclined upwardly toward the downstream ends and provided with vertical oppositely-disposed side walls, oppositely-disposed brace-posts disposed adjacent said vertical walls and connected by a stay member in transverse alinement with the upper surfaces.

of said fence-sections, a gate mounted to swing downstream between said fence-sections and engaging said brace-posts when in its closed position, and a spring connected to maintain said gate yieldably closed, substantially as specied.

5. In a flood fence and gate construction, fence-sections disposed at the opposite sides of the channel and' inclined upwardly toward their downstream ends and provided with vertical oppositely -disposed side walls, oppositely-disposed brace-posts disposed adjacent said vertical walls and embedded in the bed of the stream, cribs formed of a plurality of members superimposed at their ends and inclosing said posts and ballasted to hold them in position, a gate mounted to swing downstream between said fence-sections and engaging said brace-posts when in closed position, substantially as speciiied.

6. In a flood fence and gate construction,`

fence-sections disposed at the opposite sides of the channel and inclined upwardly toward their downstream ends and provided with vertical oppositely-disposed side' walls, oppositely-dis- I i posed brace-posts disposed adjacentsaid vertical walls and embedded in thebed of the stream, cribs formed oi' a plurality of members superimposed attheir ends and inclosing said posts and ballasted to hold them in position, a gate mounted to swing downstream between said fence-sections and engaging said brace-posts when in closed position, and a tie member connecting the upper ends o f said brace-posts, substantially as specified.

7; In a flood-fence construction, a plurality of vertical posts spaced apart and embedded at their lower ends in the bed of the stream transversely thereof, horizontal cap plates connected to the upper ends of said posts and with their inner ends terminating at opposite sides of the channel, sill-plates embedded in the bed of the stream transversely thereof and spaced upstream from said cap-plates and posts, brace members embedded in the bed of the stream downstream from said vertical posts and inclined toward the upper ends of said posts and cap-plates and connected thereto, tie-bars connecting said brace members vertical posts and sill members, stay-posts embedded at their lower ends in the bed of the stream their upper ends arranged adjacent the inner ends of said plate members, a tie member connecting the upper ends of said brace-posts and extending over the channel, and spaced fence members connected with said sill members and plate members and extending downstream in an upwardly inclined position, substantially as specied.

8. A flood fence and gate construction, comprising spaced fence-sections composed of a plurality of Vertical posts spaced apart with their lower ends embedded in the bed `of the stream transversely thereof, horizontal capplates connected with the upper ends ofsaid posts, sill-plates embedded in the`bed of the stream transversely thereof and spaced upstream from said cap-plates and posts, brace members embedded in the bed of the stream downstream from said vertical posts and inclined toward the upper ends of said posts and cap-plates and connected thereto, tie-bars connecting said brace members vertical posts and sill members, spaced slats connecteolabove said IOO IIO

sill members andvplate members and extendof the channel, posts embedded at their lower' ends,l in the bed or' the stream adjacent to said spaced supporting structures, a supportingrod connecting said post members, a gate mov- IIS ably mounted upon said rod and adapted to engage said posts when in its closed position, a stake embedded in the bed of the stream adjacent to the upstream side of Said gate, and a spring connected by one end to said Stake and by the opposite end to the gate and operating to support said gate yieldably in closed position, Substantially as Speeiiied.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto aixed our' signatures 10 in the presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS WARD PHEGLEY. ELBERT PHEGLEY.

fitnessesz W. F. WHITE,

his WV. C. VOODWARD.

mark 

